The Tartan Army will stand in solidarity with the Three Lions and take the knee before their meeting next Friday
Scotland have so far been “taking a stand” against racism throughout the build-up to Euro 2020 but it has now been announced by Scotland and their captain, Andy Robertson, that Steve Clarke and his men will be kneeling alongside England when the two sides meet on Friday, June 18th.
This comes as fans continue to boo the statement against racism, questioning the weight of the gesture and suggesting it has political affiliations as opposed to being simply an anti-racist declaration.
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The Scotland squad switched to standing for the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign back in March after Clarke himself had suggested that gesture had become “maybe a little bit diluted”.
Nevertheless, in light of the reaction form certain groups of fans over the past few days, the Tartan Army will now show solidarity with their English opponents next Friday. The team will continue to take a stand for the other two group games but this is a heart-warming moment of unity that reminds us we’re all fighting for the same thing: equality.
The decision to stand was initially in response to the high-profile racial incident involving Rangers midfielder, Glen Kamara, and Czech player Ondrej Kudela during a Europa League match on March 18th at the Ibrox.
Following that incident, Rangers and Celtic players stood in opposition to racism at the Old Firm – a gesture repeated by Scotland’s players the following week. West Ham player, Tomas Soucek, has since come out to say that he does not believe Kudela said anything racist to Kamara, as well as suggesting that Britain is too “sensitive” when it comes to racism.
England’s players have said they will continue to “take a knee” throughout Euro 2020, despite being booed by some supporters at the recent warmup friendlies. The camp say they are “more determined than ever” and believe it is “the right thing to do”.